This invention relates to leveling and/or plumbing devices, and more particularly to a leveling or plumbing device that can be secured in position on a surface such as a wall.
Leveling and/or plumbing devices are used in construction or other applications for marking or determining the level or plumb orientation of an object or surface. Many devices of this type utilize a laser generator that emits a beam of light, typically in a fan-type planar configuration, to provide the user with a visual representation of level or plumb on a surface. In order to fix the orientation of the device relative to the surface, which may be a floor or wall, it has been known to provide the device with extendable and retractable pins, which penetrate the surface and serve to temporarily secure the device to the surface. While this type of temporary mounting arrangement functions satisfactorily to fix the position of the device relative to the surface, it is disadvantageous in that the pins leave holes in the surface that must be filled after use. In addition, this type of mounting arrangement does not allow slight alterations in the orientation of the device after engagement with the surface, in the event the device is not truly level or plumb when the pins are first inserted into the surface. Furthermore, this type of mounting arrangement can only be employed when the device is used on a surface that is capable of being penetrated by the pins. Accordingly, a temporary mounting arrangement of this type cannot be used on hard surfaces such as concrete, tile or the like.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a leveling and/or plumbing device that can be temporarily mounted to virtually any type of surface, regardless of the nature of the surface material. It is another object of the invention to provide such a device which can be easily and quickly secured in position on a surface. A further object of the invention is to provide such a device in which the orientation of the device can be adjusted slightly when temporarily mounted to the surface, to enable the user to accurately position the device. A still further object of the invention is to provide such a device which operates in a manner similar to prior art devices yet which overcomes the many disadvantages of such prior art devices.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a leveling device for use on a work surface includes a body defining a surface; a light beam emitter contained within the body for emitting a light beam exteriorly of the body in a predetermined orientation relative to the body; and an engagement arrangement associated with the body for selectively maintaining the body in position on the work surface. The engagement arrangement includes at least one extendible and retractable engagement member and an adhesive carried by the engagement member. The extendible and retractable engagement member is movable between a retracted position in which the adhesive is positioned inwardly of the surface of the body, and an extended position in which the adhesive is positioned outwardly of the surface of the body for engagement with the work surface to selectively maintain the body in position on the work surface. The engagement arrangement further includes a biasing arrangement associated with the engagement arrangement for biasing the at least one extendible and retractable engagement member toward the retracted position. The biasing arrangement may be in the form of a spring that is configured and arranged to act on the engagement member to bias the engagement member toward the retracted position. The engagement arrangement may be in the form of a pair of spaced apart engagement members, and may also include a third engagement member at a location spaced from the pair of spaced apart engagement members.
The surface of the body may be in the form of a downwardly facing surface, and the body may include an upwardly facing surface facing in a direction opposite that of the downwardly facing surface. The body may include a passage within which each engagement member is located. Each passage extends between the upwardly facing surface and the downwardly facing surface of the body, and each engagement member includes an upwardly facing actuating surface for manual engagement by a user to enable the user to move the engagement member from the retracted position to the extended position. The engagement member is configured and arranged such that downward movement of the upwardly facing actuating surface by the user causes downward movement of the engagement member within the passage, to move the adhesive outwardly relative to the downwardly facing surface of the body into engagement with the work surface. In one form, the adhesive may be a mass of adhesive material removably contained within a recess in an end defined by the engagement member.
The invention also contemplates a method of maintaining the position of a leveling device on a work surface, substantially in accordance with the foregoing summary.
Various other features, objects and advantages of the invention will be made apparent from the following description taken together with the drawings.